Drama is a city in northeastern Greece, in the region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, set in a broad plain between the Rhodope mountains to the north and the Kavala plain to the south. It is one of the greenest cities in Greece, with numerous springs and streams running through the city centre, feeding parks and gardens that give it a pleasant, almost alpine character unusual for Greece.
The city is the capital of the Drama regional unit and has a modest but genuine old quarter with some Ottoman-era buildings and a lively central square. The Agia Varvara Springs are the source of the city's greenery and make the most atmospheric corner of town, surrounded by Byzantine and Ottoman-era monuments including the 10th-century Hagia Sophia church and two former mosques. The Archaeological Museum covers the region's deep history from Neolithic times to Byzantium.
Drama is known across Greece for its spring festival celebrating water and flowers, and for the Drama International Short Film Festival, which has been running since 1974 and is one of the most respected short film events in Europe. It is not a major tourist destination, but it makes a comfortable base for exploring the Nestos river gorge to the east and the monasteries of the Kavala region. The Philippi archaeological site is about 40 kilometres south.